Worcester Business Journal

24 Worcester Business Journal | January 6, 2020 | wbjournal.com B E S T O F B U S I N E S S M U L T I M E D I A E X P E R T S Worcester Interactive grows by word-of-mouth BY THOMAS GRILLO Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer E ven as a teenager, Christo- pher Dalton knew he wanted to have a tech career. "I've been dabbling with website design since high school. "My high school friends and I were computer nerds. It seemed inevi- table." He and his schoolmates used their skills to modify video games and cra websites for fun, he said. Aer gradua- tion from Worcester State University in 2005, Dalton held a series of IT jobs at help desks for a variety of companies. In 2014, his breakthrough moment came when he was hired by Cinch IT to be its full-time web designer. e Worcester firm offers tech support for businesses, and Dalton's job was to build websites for their clients. While he won't name the companies, Dalton said he created sites for busi- nesses of all sizes, from a hair salon to a manufacturing plant with $50 million in annual revenues. But when Cinch sold the web design portion of the business two years ago and laid him off, Dalton faced an uncertain future. For a time, he lived off savings as he tried to figure out his next move. "I was lost and unsure of what to do," he said. "I knew I was tired of the lack of job security and wanted to launch my own website design business. But I didn't have a cent to get started." He got a business license, created a website for what would later become his new company, and spent a few bucks on business cards. "It was terrifying," Dalton said. "I was confident of my web design skills, but running a business was a foreign concept to me. I read everything I could get my hands on, like I was cramming for a final exam." In those early days, Dalton called peo- ple to say he had started a web design company. "I let them know I was business for myself and if they needed help with web design, I was their man," he said. And it worked. His first three clients included creating websites for JTB Wellness, the Uxbridge yoga studio, Sitec Environmental Inc., an engineering and land use planning group in Marshfield, and Live Action Escapes, the Worcester entertainment company locking customers in a room and giving them 45 minutes to solve puzzles and escape. Today, most of his work comes from referrals, Dalton said. He employs a web designer, a marketing specialist, and a part-time accountant. "Within five years, I hope to expand and have an even larger staff," he said. BEST WEB DESIGN FIRM Worcester Interactive worcesterinteractive.com Top executive: CEO Chris Dalton Founded: 2017 Employees: 4 Notable runners-up: Applied Interactive, PENTA Communications Worcester Interactive CEO Chris Dalton BEST IT SERVICES PROVIDER Cinch I.T.* Worcester, www.cinchIT.com Top executive: President Rick Porter Founded: 2004 Employees: 32 Cinch I.T. differentiates itself in the tech world by providing fast and friendly computer support to businesses, in an industry plagued by slow response and a lack of customer service skills. Cinch's newest product is cybersecurity training for businesses, including simulated phishing emails, security awareness training, and weekly micro-training to keep security top- of-mind. Notable runners-up: ClearCom IT Solutions, Inc., Machado Consulting BEST COMMERCIAL PRINTER Curry Printing* Westborough, CurryPrinting.com Top executive: President Peter Gardner Founded: 1978 Employees: 35 In the evolving world of printing – where businesses need less materials printed but are looking for a higher quality – Curry keeps a strong focus on understanding cli- ents' needs, in order to help them achieve their objectives. This includes saving those clients time and being more efficient with their print communications. Notable runner-up: ISS On Demand Peter Gardner BEST AWARDS & PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS Engraveables, Inc. Marlborough, www.engraveablesma.com Top executive: Manager Louis Papile, Jr. Founded: 1984 A third-generation business priding itself on customer satisfaction, Engraveables has invested in new technology and training for its small staff to enable the company to engrave virtually anything on almost any surface. Notable runner-up: Guertin Graphics BEST VIDEO PRODUCTION Pagano Media* Worcester, paganomedia.com Top executive: President Joe Pagano Cinch I.T.

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